Chemistry professor wins 2011 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation for five-year research project

The National Science Foundation has selected Kelling Donald, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Richmond, for a 2011 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award.

The CAREER program makes grants to junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research. It is designed to encourage professors to continue mixing teaching and research throughout their careers.

Donald will receive $95,719 the first year and another $492,926 the following four years to develop new understanding of chemical processes through computational research. Undergraduates will play a large role in Donald’s research, from experimentation to publication and presentation, and the grant will fund summer stipends and supplies for dozens of them.

During the grant period, Donald will have regular contact with more than 225 Richmond-area high school students participating in the university’s Math-Science Investigators program for under-represented students, helping them gain enthusiasm for, and understanding of, scientific processes. He hopes getting them involved in research will motivate them to pursue science degrees in the future.

Donald earned bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica, and has taught at Richmond since 2007.